Presence vs. presents

An article by shannonlynbrady

Been reading and listening to news reports on what the retail industry has in store (literally and figuratively) for we consumers this season, and it’s alarming. To me, anyway.

Specifically, some stores are hijacking Thanksgiving by opening their doors and encouraging us to do the following:

dismiss time with our family in exchange for ‘deals’

sacrifice the one Holiday of the year that emphasizes gratitude over gifts

leave the present moment and launch full speed ahead into the ‘spend=joy’ hype of an already-hijacked (sorry to sound so cynical) Holiday that leaves many in debt for months and even years to come

I support retail, especially small boutique shops that keep the unique character of a town intact. But it’s not these folks that are dangling the ‘deal’ carrot in front of us to shop early. It’s the big box chain stores (no need to list them here – just turn on the TV, scroll through FB, and you’ll see who) that, every year, take a bigger bite out of our Thanksgiving Holiday. Every year we get closer to a dead carcass of this time-treasured Holiday.

As the daughter of small business owners (my parents ran a lovely antique store and design business in downtown Seattle for many years), I am not immune to the importance of meeting heightened sales goals during the month of December. But this is NOVEMBER. Can’t we wait just a few more days before the frenzy begins? My parents, like many small retail owners, always honored and respected the Thanksgiving Holiday, closing their doors and sending the message that both customers and employees should be taking time out to be thankful with their loved ones.

So here is my plea: BE PRESENT. And leave the presents well alone until after Thanksgiving.